After Wei Jing got married, Jinling had also entered the midsummer season, and the heat was getting worse every day.
Not to mention Yin Hui, who was born and raised in the north, Ji Xianxian, who was born in Jinling but lived in Yandi for more than ten years, now felt the heat of the south of the Yangtze River, and she couldn’t stand it.
“It’s still cooler in Pingcheng. Even when the sun shines, as long as you go to the shade of a tree, you will cool down immediately. Here, it’s hot outside and stuffy in the house. It doesn’t make any difference.”
Sitting in the hall with ice tripods, Ji Xianxian shook the round fan slowly and complained to Yin Hui, “It’s so hot, I don’t even bother to go back to my mother’s mansion. It’s because you are close that I came here to sit.”
Yin Hui sighed, “It’s hot, and I’m here because I’m relatively free. Every time Prince Shu comes back from his errands, he is covered in sweat. Ning Ning doesn’t like to rush over to hug him.”
Ji Xianxian laughed, and then she said, full of envy, “The Third Master is on duty in the Ministry of Punishment. He can come home every day. I don’t know which bank of the Yangtze River my husband is basking on at the moment.”
Yin Hui joked, “The Second Brother has left Beijing for only three months, and you miss him already?”
Of course, Ji Xianxian thought about it. Since she married Wei Yan, the couple hadn’t been separated for so long, unlike Yin Hui, who spent less time with Wei Luo during those three years of war, and was used to it.
But she definitely wouldn’t admit it. “Miss him? I wish he was working outside all the time, what will he do when he comes back, marry the side concubines?” As she spoke, she still felt sour.
Seeing Yin Hui looking at her and smiling, Ji Xianxian knew that she had leaked her thoughts. She turned her beautiful eyes and changed the subject, “The Yellow River is to the north, and the Elder Brother will only come back later, which means that the side concubines on his side will come in later. The day in July is almost here. Tell me, will the marriage be delayed? If it’s delayed, the Ministry of Rites will have to manage the concubines of our mansion and the Fourth Brother’s mansion, followed by the Chinese New Year, and then the Fifth Brother over there. Do the Elder Brother’s side concubines have to wait until this time next year to come in?”
Yin Hui replied, “No way, the wedding date has already been set, and delays will cause chaos.”
Ji Xianxian asked, “Then, will the Eldest Brother come back or not?”
Delaying the errands of patrolling the banks of the Yellow River in order to marry the side concubines would not be good. If he didn’t come back, the two concubines from famous families in the capital would have no groom on the wedding night. It would also be shameful.
Yin Hui shook her head, indicating that she couldn’t guess for sure either.
However, she knew that Wei Yang didn’t come back to marry his side concubines and had been busy in the north until September before returning. That year, there were no major disasters on both sides of the Yellow River. There was only a small disaster in a section of the river, which was dealt with promptly under the auspices of Wei Yang. Therefore, after Wei Yang came back, the Emperor praised him, and the ministers and the people also praised him for a while. His Royal Highness Prince Duan even delayed marrying his side concubines for the sake of the people, making him a well-deserved virtuous prince.
In contrast, when Wei Yan returned to Beijing after finishing his errands to catch up on the marriage to his side concubines, the scenery was much more calm.
In July, Wei Yang did not return to Beijing. He sent a letter to Emperor Yongping in advance, explaining that the tour of the embankment was not over yet, and going back and forth was too time-consuming, so he would not come back to marry his side concubines.
Emperor Yongping had people read Prince Duan’s letter in the court, and the ministers immediately praised Prince Duan for his heart for the people, honesty, and virtue. Prince Duan and the two side concubines’ families only received praises, thinking there was nothing wrong with the delay. As long as the side concubines entered the Duan Mansion, the marriage would be consummated sooner or later. A delay of a few months was nothing, and the more famous the Prince was, the closer he was to the position of heir.
Although Wei Yang didn’t come back, in late July, the Duan Mansion still held a grand banquet. Under the auspices of Princess Xu Qingwan, the two side concubines were married in a lively manner and entered the door at the same time. Yin Hui and Wei Luo also took their children to the wedding banquet. In ordinary families, noble concubines were treated with such a grand wedding banquet. The side concubines of the palace had a higher status than noble concubines, so the wedding banquet was even more grand.
However, no matter how expensive the wedding was, they were still concubines. When a Prince married a side concubine, he did not have to go to greet the concubine in person, but hand it over to the Ministry of Rites. He would just wait in the mansion. Moreover, the side concubine didn’t need to go to the hall when she entered the door, and she didn’t need to wear a red veil. She only needed to offer tea to the Prince and Princess at the same time, and only waited for the consummation at night to complete the ceremony.
Wei Yang was away, so Xu Qingwan received the tea from the two side concubines alone.
Yin Hui, Ji Xianxian, and Wang Junfang sat on one side to watch the ceremony.
Even if they met again, Yin Hui was still amazed by the beauty of the two side concubines. No wonder they said that there were beauties south of the Yangtze River. These two delicate side concubines really were pitiful. In contrast, Xu Qingwan, who was sitting on the main seat, had an eldest son only one or two years younger than the two side concubines, and she looked almost like the elder to the two side concubines.
The side concubines offered tea and left, and the banquet began. Ji Xianxian looked around and asked Xu Qingwan, “Sister-in-law, why haven’t I seen Concubine Meng?”
Concubine Meng was a favorite, so she was eligible to come out to eat.
Xu Qingwan smiled and said, “She is pregnant, so it is not suitable for her to go out for a while.”
Yin Hui thought of Fu Shan. Fu Shan was diagnosed pregnant in the twelfth lunar month last year. She was already eight months pregnant. It was said that twins were prone to premature birth, so she didn’t come over.
Concubine Meng was probably conceived on the boat going south, but because it was a single pregnancy, it would definitely be later than Fu Shan.
Yin Hui still missed Fu Shan very much. Except for her different state of mind, Fu Shan was very similar to her who just moved to Jinling in her previous life. She was far away from her homeland and had no natal family besides her husband and children.
Therefore, recently, Yin Hui often went to visit Fu Shan at the Xiang Mansion, fearing that Fu Shan would give birth, so she went by herself without Xiao Ning.
On the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month, Yin Hui set off after breakfast and took advantage of the cool weather to go to the Xiang Mansion.